MSA Sports Countdown of Top 25 WPIAL Stories of 2013 – 12/29/13

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, December 29, 2013 | 6:17 PM

It has become a tradition like no other…at least during the holidays here at MSA Sports. It’s time to look back at another high school sports year with the top stories from around the WPIAL in 2013. We continue our countdown with the five stories that ended up #20 through #16.

#20 – Virgin Playoff Teams

There are teams that haven’t played in the WPIAL football playoffs in ‘X’ amount of years, then there are schools that have never played in a WPIAL football game…ever. Until this 2013 season that is.

Summit Academy is a small court-adjudicated facility in rural Butler County that started in 1998. The Knights roster not only changes drastically from year to year, but also could change from week-to-week.

For most of the previous 15 years, Summit Academy was no factor in the playoff chase, but that changed this past fall. When the Knights started 1-3 this season, including a non-conference loss to Waynesburg, it looked like just another autumn in Herman. But after beating Ford City and Deer Lakes to even their mark at 3-3, Summit Academy picked up their biggest win in school history when they knocked off Valley with 20 unanswered fourth quarter points in a 26-6 victory over a Vikings team that was 5-1 coming into the game.

After a loss to Shady Side Academy, the Knights clinched their first playoff berth with a 38-20 victory over Freeport on the last day of the regular season. The postseason lasted one week for the Knights when they lost to Beaver Falls 50-26 in a Class AA First Round game.

The playoff run for West Shamokin was an even bigger story. The Wolves joined the WPIAL in 2000 and won 13 games in their first 12 years. included in that span was a WPIAL record 46-game losing streak that was finally snapped in Week Three of the 2012 season. The Wolves won two more games and finished with a school record 3 wins in a campaign.

West Shamokin opened the 2013 with three straight wins including a season opening 12-7 victory over perennial power Springdale. Then after losing two straight, the Wolves sealed the deal on the programs first postseason berth with three more wins in a row, including a 36-6 pasting of Leechburg in Week Eight that made the playoffs official. Like Summit Academy, it was a quick stay for the Wolves in the Class A tournament as they fell to Monessen 37-14 in Round One.

#19 – Record Diver

Pine-Richland senior Dominic Giordano came into the WPIAL Class AAA Diving Championships as the defending gold medalist and the unquestioned favorite. Giordano did not disappoint the crowd at North Allegheny High School in late February. Not only did he capture his second consecutive gold medal, but Giordano set a new WPIAL finishing the competition with 610.00 points after his 11 dives.

Heading into his last dive, the was no question that the Florida State bound diver would take the top spot, but Giordano’s total was 539.80, 67.70 points off the WPIAL record of 607.30 set by Connor Kuremsky of North Allegheny in 2011.

Giordano admitted afterwards he knew exactly how many points he needed to score to achieve “one of his goals” and set the new record. Giordano, who was mostly flawless throughout the competition, was flawless on his final attempt, netting a total of 70.20 points. In addition to his second consecutive goal medal, Giordano finished third as a sophomore in 2011 and took home the bronze.

#18 – Diamond Perfection

North Allegheny, South Park, Beaver and Western Beaver all claimed WPIAL baseball gold in late May. But it was a memorable Class AAA title game that capped off a perfect season for South Park.

In a game full of missed opportunities, the Eagles came thru when it counted the most, claiming a 4-3 nine inning victory over the Hopewell Vikings to become only the fifth team in WPIAL baseball history to win a district championship with a perfect 24-0 record. Adam Thompson, who was hit for in the eighth inning, re-entered the game to draw a bases loaded walk to push the Eagles to the win.

The game was the first extra inning title game since Franklin Regional beat Mount Lebanon 9-8 in 2001 to win the Class AAA title in eight innings. It’s the first WPIAL baseball title for South Park, the Eagles last made the title game in 2002.

Randy Dobnak, the third Eagles pitcher of the night, got the win, going 2.2 innings and struck out four. The senior combined with another senior, Jake Bywalski to blank the Vikings offense in six straight innings. Bywalski said that he thought he would get to pitch tonight, that he was able to spot his off-speed pitches and keep the Hopewell hitters off balance.

Hopewell had a chance to win the game in the eighth inning, with runners at first and second and one out, Ryan Cox laid down a bunt in front of home plate, catcher Justin Dilla’s throw hit Cox in the back, but Cox was ruled out of the runner’s lane going to first and called out on interference, forcing the runners back to their original stations. Arion Sepp lined out to right to end the inning and the Hopewll threat.

It looked like the Vikings would run away and hide after the first two innings. Logan Johnston hit a 1-0 pitch from starter Nick Yobbi well over the left center field fence to put the Vikings up 2-0 after one. Hopewell added a run in the second as it looked like Yobbi would get out of the inning untouched, but second baseman Carter Grote threw low, allowing Ryan Cox to reach first and Adam Murray to score from second base.

Trailing 3-0, it was South Park’s turn to hit the scoreboard in the fourth. Chris Winkler was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, he was balked to second base and Shane Fetsko singled to right field to bring home Winkler. Dobnak followed with a two run homer inside the left field foul pole to knot the game at three. He said he sat back on a curve ball from starter Clayton Covalt and just ripped it.

Hopewell left seven runners on base from the sixth thru eighth innings, including the bases loaded in the seventh. Dobnak was able to strike out Tim Hughes and Covalt to send the game to extra frames.

South Park lost in the PIAA Quarterfinals when they were blanked by Keystone Oaks 3-0 to end up with a 25-1 mark.

#17 – Tigers & Bridgers Again…Oh My

Nothing changed when it came to the WPIAL boys volleyball postseason…again.

In the WPIAL Boys AAA Volleyball Championship match the North Allegheny Tigers defeated the Bethel Park Black Hawks by a 3-2 match score to win their seventh title in a row, their 10th in the last 11 years and 16th overall title.

The Tigers took game one 25-17 and made it look easy. At 13-10 they went on a 12-4 run to win. Tommy Keisling the SR OH led the way with his power game.

In game two it was close and tied 9-9 before Bethel Park would take control. NA fell apart mid game  as the Blackhawks went on an 8-3 run to go up 21-15. Camden Hay the SR OH came up big to lead the way and his kill gave BP a 5 point lead at 23-18 on their way to a 25-21 game two win to tie the match at 1-1.

In game three NA simply made a statement. They led early by 5-3 and went on a tear. Runs of 7-1 to go up 12-4, and an 11-4 finish showed why they are the dominant program in AAA.

All the momentum NA had they lost as the Black Hawks would go up early at 5-2 and hold the lead until 13-13.  At this point the match became intense as they would trade the lead 5 times and tie 7 times before BP took control and at 21-21 scored the final 4 points to win game four 25-21. The left handed Grant Underwood would lead the way for Bethel Park.

In the deciding game 5, the Tigers rolled to a 7-1 lead as again Bethel could not sustain momentum from the previous game victory. They would themselves go on a 6-3 run to cut the lead to three but could get no closer. NA would get two big kills from David Haas and two from Brendan Brown on the way to a game five 15-8 win and a 3-2 match victory.

North Allegheny would go on to add a PIAA state championship to its bloated collection of gold.

In the WPIAL Class AA Boys Volleyball Championships, the Ambridge Bridgers defended their title with a 3-0 sweep of the Derry Trojans. It was their fifth WPIAL AA title in the last six years.

In game one Both teams played well early and the game was tied 5-5 before Ambridge took control. Too many unforced errors did in the Trojans as the Bridgers went on a 9-1 run to lead 14-6 on their way to a 25-17 game one victory.

In game two, the Trojans kept it closer and the game was tied at 9-9. For Derry, Matt Vasinko and Josh Wannamaker were the Trojans stars. But Ambridge would go on a 12-3 run to go up 21-12 lead. Derry would go on a late run but come up short and the Bridgers would go up 2-0 in the match.

In game three, the Trojans started strong and led 4-1, but Ambridge took control and tied 6-6. They would again go on a 9-1 run to lead 15-7. Again Derry would rebound and go on a 5-0 run to cut it to 16-13. But the Bridgers were just too big, too strong and too deep and went on to a 25-19 game three win and a 3-0 match victory.

For the Bridgers, Lee Smith had 21 kills, Brandon Buck 9, and Trent Monk 6. Cody Brooks had 9 digs, Dan Zajac 3 blocks, and Aaron Mueller 41 assists to pace Ambridge.

#16 – Golden Gruber

When it comes to the Butterfly race, nobody has been better over the last four years than Margaret Gruber of Mars. In the WPIAL Swimming championships in late February, the Virginia Tech recruit won her sixth WPIAL gold medal as she won the 100-yard Backstroke for the third consecutive year breaking her own WPIAL record set last year with a  54.51 time. Then she won her third straight 100-yard Butterfly.

In March, Gruber captured her fourth consecutive championship in the Butterfly and her fifth over state title at the PIAA state swimming championships to become one of the most accomplished swimmers from the WPIAL.

Tags: Ambridge, West Shamokin